On The Darker Side of Angels
by Hybridbabe
Summary: When old friends reunite, the Titans encounter their most challenging opponents yet, one that could destroy them in the blink of an eye, and one that’s been manipulating them all from the start.
1. Chapter 1: Past to Present

**Title:** On the Darker Side of Angels (Teen Titans)  
**Sequel to:** **SINKING INTO SLADE** and **A HERO'S REDEMPTION**  
**Rating:** PG-13 or T  
**Disclaimer:** I own the words on this page and the USE of Troia in Teen Titans. Otherwise, I'm just borrowing from DC Comics.  
**Author's Note:** It's the long awaited sequel to** A HERO'S REDEMPTION**! WHOO HOOO! And I couldn't resist: now that I've built up all this Slade stuff, the relationship with Troia and the Titans (especially Robin) and introduced a potentially LETHAL villain known as Dark Angel, this had to be done. It absolutely HAD TO. Contrary to how I was going to make this though, Troia's thing with Dark Angel is going to be a side story in this one, one half to a brilliant plot that hopefully will be cooking in my head for a few hours, and she's going to take a back seat to the hero we all know and love in the Teen Titan world, Robin. I realized that, even though I created this kick butt entrance for Donna, I sort of left Robin high and dry in the previous fic. Troia, whether as herself or Red X, took up about ¾ of the story last time, and I don't want to do that in this one. But her deal and Robin's WILL tie into each other, and I might be coerced into doing more than just 10 chappies this go around... Anyway, hopefully, you'll like what I've done with it, and what I have in store. Enjoy!

* * *

**ONE YEAR LATER...**

Silent, slightly chilly and damp, the cityscape of Gotham city was unsettling for those who prowled within its shadow, a sense of menace and violence hanging in the stillness, as if something was going to happen. Like the eye of a hurricane, the city was placid, a false sense of security falling upon its citizens, and while some were none the wiser about the coming storm, there were a few who were ready to combat it.

He was one of two really; to protect the skylines and highways of the area, and surf along byways made by rope instead of concrete, the wind whipping his face like a speeding car above the ground. Lightning fast, to his opponents he was a blur, his muscles taut and hard, like a black panther upon his prey and prone to some of the violence his second master was capable of. When out-muscled, he was the next greatest detective after the legendary Batman. He had to be: the Batman was his first mentor, and never accepted second best.

Skilled, no doubt, thanks to them both, he crouched above the Local Lutheran Church, watching, waiting, anticipating the signal of a disturbance before it escalated into all out war. The quiet made him nervous, made him think too much about personal affairs when he should be doing something more with his time. This wasn't the time or the place to wonder about what was to come or what should have happened, now, a year later, a year to come...

A sudden flash caught the corner of his eye, and he dived straight down into the street, righting himself halfway down and landing lightly on his feet like a cat. He tensed, sprang forward, and ran down the alleyway so fast, anyone would've thought Superman was taking a leisurely stroll at super speed if they bothered to watch.

He hadn't seen her coming.

She was fast, too fast, and through his V mask, he had a hard time tracking her movements, but instinct told him where to block and punch. A side kick was millimeters from connecting with his jaw, but he spun away at the last minute and heel kicked, his assailant blocking it with accuracy as his foot connected with metal.

Metal?

Flashes of images appeared in his head, and he smiled wide, recognizing why this "villain" seemed so familiar to him. He hadn't seen her in over a year, but he could tell, she'd gotten better. Way better. Almost as good as he was, but there was no comparison.

Troia couldn't hack it like he could.

He faked a right cross and went in with a left, catching her off guard. The blow sent her reeling into the side of a wall. Laughing, he held out a hand, and spoke. "Need a hand?"

"I almost had you."

"Donna, you weren't even close."

She accepted his grip, and he pulled her up, noticing details he hadn't seen before. Instead of her usual, red clad garb, it was replaced with a jumpsuit of black, starry outlines dotting everywhere and giving her an unearthly glow. A tight, sterling silver choke collar rested against her throat, star earrings in her ears, and her bracelets were new, engraved with stars and longer than the originals, now coming almost all the way down to her elbows. She was taller than she had been, shorter than him now by a few inches, and she had a more bright and cheery disposition that he hadn't seen in her before.

He was sure she was surprised to see him as well, now clad in a suit almost entirely of black, the outline of a great blue bird stretching from the middle of his chest to half way down his shoulders, the fowl's wingspan reaching to mid-bicep. His hair was no longer gelled; instead, it was shorter in the back, longer pieces falling in his eyes and over his new mask. A metallic utility belt rested on his waist, and the absence of his black and yellow cape made him look taller, stronger, more imposing. Metal gauntlets encircled his wrists, a token of the past, and he watched her smile sadly when she saw them.

"Looks like we both can't shake the past, huh?" She held up her wrists. "I got a pair of those too. Shackles. Just like he shackled us, right?"

He didn't want to think about it too much. Changing the subject, he gestured towards her, admiring her new uniform. "Nice clothes, Troia. I kind of miss the red and yellow though. And I keep wondering if you'd get lost on a starry night."

"Camouflage, my dear Richard. Camouflage." And she winked back at him, doing a once over with her eyes after. "And what about you? What am I going to call you now? Obviously you're not Robin anymore. By the way, nice digs yourself. Very macho. Compliments your abs a lot better than the red and green.

"Nightwing. You can call me Nightwing."

"I'll call you an idiot first. Why haven't you kept in touch with us?"

Us. Knowing full well who exactly she meant, he just shrugged, trying not to show regret. "I've been busy. Gotham doesn't protect itself when Batman and I aren't patrolling. And the new girl we've got, Batgirl? She's still a novice on cape and cowl duty. She can't hack it like we can."

Troia nodded, understanding. "You know that's a load of bull right?"

"Completely."

"Listen, Rich, this is probably the time where I'm supposed to go into one of those 'we need you' sort of speeches, but I'm going to cut to the chase." Her eyes subtly got harder, and she clenched a fist. Slade's back in town. This time though, he's different. There's no fun and games when it comes down to it. He's changed, and it's not for the better."

Slade. The name still enraged and enflamed his anger, even after all this time. "What's he done now?"

"For one, he's not... afraid, to kill."

Time stopped. "Kill?"

"When you left, about two months later, Cyborg calls me on my Titans communicator. They wanted me back, give me another start. He said that they had made a mistake, and they just needed time to cool down. They wanted me back and, since I was in Star City, visiting Ollie at the time, he encouraged me to go. So I did, and I was surprised as anyone to see a couple new faces with Starfire, Raven, Cy and Beast Boy. One of them was a boy about our age, maybe a little less. Jericho was his name. He was mute, thanks to some accident that we couldn't even guess at, and he had the power to jump from mind to mind, taking control of other people's powers. We never knew his history until Slade came into town."

Nightwing was concerned. "What happened?"

"Slade was Jericho's father and he... killed him. Something had slowly been happening to Joe, and we never knew until it was too late. He'd been inhabited from souls that were slowly driving him insane. He finally just ran straight towards Slade's blaster just to end his life. Slade... was so different after that. It was like he didn't have anything else left to lose. After Joe, he also killed Phase and Caracol, two recruits we gained from the H.I.V.E. Academy."

"Besides the Slade angle, what does this have to do with me? Why did you really come here, Troia?"

She sighed, most likely recognizing how sharp he really was and how well he knew her. "We want you back, Rich. Raven's been the leader for awhile now, but she's no you. The Titans need someone who can be someone they could look up to, someone who knows their strengths and weaknesses and can put them to good use. We need someone who can keep a relatively level head, and grace under fire. We need you, Nightwing. Now, more than ever. So the real question is, are you going to help? Or am I going to have to drag you back there kicking and screaming? What's it going to be?"

"I'm not in the Teen Titans business anymore, Donna. You know that as well as I do. Besides," he abruptly started jumping from wall to wall, back, forth and upwards until he was out of sight, landing on the roof of a drycleaner's office, "Gotham's my hometown now."

His legs were running now, running away from his problems, running away from his past, but sooner than later, he felt a smaller, built frame keeping pace. "You can't run from your responsibilities, Rich."

"Watch me," he muttered, bounding from rooftop to rooftop in the blink of an eye. "I can run as fast as my legs can take me."

"You're not doing me any favors, besides helping me lose those 300 cals I ate for lunch."

They leapt to the church roof, and he kick-flipped off the cross, landing behind her and running in the other direction, back the way they came. "I'm not going back. Gotham needs me. Go back to the Titans, Troia, before--"

His foot caught in a weak patch on the roof, throwing him momentarily off-balance. It was just enough to halt his smooth stride. He fell.

Then, he wasn't falling, secure in a pair of arms and enhanced with training and superstrength, and levitating thirty feet off the ground. Groaning, Nightwing shook his head and laughed hoarsely. "You love playing the hero, don't you?"

Troia looked down at him with those blue-on-blue eyes of hers and smiled back, using her flight to lower him down to the ground. "It's what I do to get over the past, and what I can do to be a team player. This isn't just about you and the past, Boy Wonder. I'm not the only one who misses you, you know. "

"The Titans, huh?" said the teen, musing. "I haven't thought about the team in a year."

"We need you, Robin."

"Haven't been called that in so long either."

"Come back to the Titans. Be Robin again."

"Do you know how much that would screw everything up? If I went back to being Robin again? It's like you dawning the red and yellow again, Donna. Dammit, I've spent the last year trying to shake off what the hell happened to me, and now you want me to come back and act like it never happened."

She pursed her lips, but refused. "I never said--"

"You didn't have to. I can read between the lines."

"You know, for someone who was trained by the legendary Batman, you sure are a dumbass right now."

"I couldn't agree more," commented a harsh voice above them, the figure wrapped in shadow. "I thought I taught you better than that."

First it was Troia, and now it was Batman? The man was threatening, leering over them like God himself, the cowl hiding most of his eyes. A black emblem of a bat graced his chest, the packed, taut muscles adding to the menacing, cold image that struck fear into the criminals he brought in. He fixed cold, ice blue eyes on his adopted son, his face fixed and unyielding, judging him and his friend with a glance before he continued. "Gotham can handle itself for a few nights. Go with Troia."

"What?" Nightwing couldn't believe it. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. Go with her. Lead the Titans against Slade."

"That's the last thing I ever want to--"

"Do it. That's an order."

"From you?" Clearly, Bruce was off his rocker. "Since when do I--"

"Since I raised you to be my son, and my partner."

"But I--"

"Go."

Sighing and irritated, he argued, against it. "NO!"

"You can't run from what you fear, Robin. If you did, then you would be afraid of it for the rest of your life. Besides, I know there are a few things you need to settle with Slade. What he did to you was twisted, insane and sick. You say you've tried to get over it, but you haven't. I can tell: all you do is bury yourself in patrols, keeping yourself busy and distract yourself. You think it'll all vanish, like it never happened, if you work hard enough to forget it. The question is, is it working?"

Damn him and his logic! Damn him and his commonsensical mind! Inwardly cursing, the younger protégé gritted his teeth and growled, "FINE."

Troia glanced up at the masked detective above her. "Thanks, Bruce." She started flying off, and smiled when she glanced back, knowing exactly what he was going to ask as she did so. "Don't worry: I'm torture resilient, so no one will ever know. And by the way, you have Diana to thank for the I.D. There's not a whole lot that we keep to ourselves, being sisters and all."

"Diana told you?"

"Yes. And if you break her heart, rich boy, I'll break your legs."

Batman smiled, amused. "No doubt."

"You coming, Nightwing?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," he grumbled, and held up his hands. Within a few seconds, she gripped them and they lifted off, away from Gotham and onward towards Jump City, home of the Teen Titans.

* * *

The Batman watched them leave and shook his head, replaying the conversation in his mind before heading straight to his Batmobile a few streets away. He'd be damned if he didn't feel like a proud father at that moment. It was time for Rich to face his fears, and he had to do it without him, and without Gotham. Now, he was finally ready to do just that, even if he couldn't see it.

He smiled, and whispered, "good luck" before slipping into the night, like a shadow on a new moon night. He still had work to do.


	2. Chapter 2: A Bleak Reunion

**Alexnandru Van Gordon-** Hehehe, I'm glad you're back! It's always nice to hear from someone who keeps coming back for more fiction... Thank you for the ovation, and for all the reviews you've sent my way. You rock my ficcing little heart, dude! Thanks for the review!

**KaliAnn-** I'm sorry! Mainly school has been getting in my way: no matter what I do, that dreaded thing known as school keeps beating me down with work... sheesh, can't a girl get a break? And I'm sorry about making you wait for so long Yeah, Bruce and Donna do make good points, but what you have to ask is, will Rich listen? He'll go his own way before seeing reason, but let's hope that he stays being a Titan for the moment, instead of going back to being someone else... someone he's not really ready for, if you ask me. Yeah, he's been emotionally scarred, but I mean, his friends are in trouble, and he goes, "eh, screw them. I'm doing my own thing here". To me, that's not right. It shows he's immature still, and he's still got a lot to learn before he steps back into the Nightwing persona. There's still much more he needs to figure out... Does that mean he'll go back to being Robin? You better believe it. He still has to face things as Robin before he can ever carry on as Nightwing, and that's exactly what he's going to do. When he's going to do it, though, is another story entirely... And yes, one part of the Starfire/Robin dilemma will play out in this chapter, with more coming... And you might like this: in the comic book series, they almost DID get married, but then Evil Raven halted the ceremony. And in a Kingdom Come comic, I believe, they actually DID tie the knot, and they had a daughter by the name of Mar'I Grayson, or Nightstar. Anyway, thanks for the review!

**Insanity 101-** Yeah, tough love is sometimes needed to point someone in the right direction. Plus, knowing Bruce, that is exactly what he would've done too: He's not the touchy, feely type, but he does regard Robin as his son, and wants what's best for him. And maybe Robin will beat up Slade in this fic, I dunno... We'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reviewing!

**AriesFalcon-** LOL, thank you, thank you! And I think the word you're looking for is "trilogy". Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter, and now that I've got all my "dominoes" up, so to speak, now I get to watch the fruits of my labor play out. Slade's set up where he needs to be, and the Titans are still around and set up to where they need to be, and everything just needs to fall into place. And I'm happy you love my style in writing- I aim to please. Thanks for the review!

**Infamous One-** Oh yeah, Slade is severely off his rocker. He's so off his rocker that now he's deadlier than ever! And yeah, I have read that they're bringing Troia back! I was thrilled to hear that! I personally love her, and I think her history is one of the more mysterious and complicated ones (Then again, that's partly due to the fact that no one is really sure on what history she has!) and I was thrilled to hear about that. Thanks for leaving me a note!

**aleema-darkrose1**- Well I'm happy you were able to come back from your sabbatical! And yeah, the Titans' reactions to Nightwing/Robin will be interesting, guaranteed. I plan on putting in a whole bunch of RobStar stuff in there, and of course, you've got everyone else to consider as well... And yes, I wouldn't be a Batman-a-holic if I didn't have my favorite superhero in there! Thanks for the note!

**Rebel-Aquarius**- DUDE! You're an Aquarius too! LOL! Sorry, couldn't help myself-- Wow, thank you for the positive feedback! I'm so happy you really liked the fics that I've done, and I'm both honored and flattered that you said what you did about my writing. You made me blush! Here is an update, just like you wanted, and thank you SO MUCH for the note! It was greatly appreciated!

Now, personally, I want to just blurt out exactly what I'm thinking: **I AM SO SORRY ABOUT HOW LATE THIS CHAPTER IS!** I worked on Chapter 1 for awhile, and I liked doing it, but then school got crazy, life got hectic, and I was just a jumbled mess... But recently, I've been watching more TT, school is out,and I've been itching to get back into the writer's chair again. So, here is the result, in all its glory, Chapter 2! Enjoy!

**EDIT**: Also, the costume ideas are **NOT MINE**. They're taken from some truly magnificent artwork by **Turin-the-forsaken** on HIM, or at least e-mail me for the link to his DA account (or better yet, just e-mail me: I'm beyond thrilled when I get notes/fanmail! It means you guys actually care about my fics and you want to know more about it, or drop suggestions, or ask me questions, etc.!). Let me tell you guys: I absolutely **LOVE** his work. It's the best revamps of the costumes I have ever seen!

Ok, now, back to your regularly scheduled fiction. ENJOY!

* * *

There were a million places he would rather be at this moment, but here at the Titans Tower was not one of them. Staring up at the building from the front entrance, the man known as Nightwing narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath. "I never wanted to see this place again..." 

"Oh quit being a baby," chided Troia, gripping his uniform at the shoulder lightly but firmly. "Come on. Better now than never."

"Can I go with the latter?"

"No."

"Damn."

And into the stronghold they went, passing halls, rooms, and places that they both knew quite well; there were few minor changes here and there in décor, but everything was genuinely identical to the way it had been when he left. The foyer was the same, the elevator, the outside gardens and rocky terrain... everything.

Almost. Out of the corner of his eye, four pictures stood out on a stark metallic wall, two framed in pure silver, two in pure gold. Depicted were two males and two females, with their names engraved below their pictures on a small plate.

Nightwing stared at one of them, the one of the girl, her long black hair streaming across her face. Clearly Hispanic, her brown eyes held fire, and contrasted nicely with her tanned skin. Surprisingly enough, the skin on her arms and legs was the color of bone, calcium and carbon diamond composites glittering from the flash of the camera that took the picture. Three blade-like claws erupted from the back of her fists, and a few sprouted from her shoulders, giving her a menacing, entirely alien look. The nameplate that accompanied the picture read, "Raquel Martinez: Caracol".

It was then that Troia noticed why he hadn't moved for awhile. "I see you've found the 'Fallen Wall'," she said, and smiled sadly. "This is where we honor those who gave their lives for humanity, and fought as Titans. Cy almost vouched to put one of your Robin pictures up here after you became Nightwing, but Raven and I voted him down."

"Maybe you should've," came the reply. "I'm not Robin anymore."

"Doesn't matter. You're still a Titan, no matter who you are."

He gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Thanks for reminding me."

She shrugged, and changed the subject by tapping Caracol's picture. "Caracol's Spanish for 'seashell'. Raquel was so into her culture and other cultures back then... the amount of stuff she knew surprised even Raven, and she's the one who can read minds." Her voice caught in her throat for a moment, and a grim smile appeared on her face. "I miss her."

Nightwing, however, was blunt about it. "Never knew her, so I can't say the same."

Another tap. "Moving along..." This one was directly to the left of Raquel's, depicting a young man, Asian, half his entire body entirely invisible, while the other half was fading out, his short black hair blowing in the wind.

Troia read his nameplate aloud. "Ying Lan Tseng, or Phase as we liked to call him. As you can see, he liked to turn invisible and walk through walls. We're lucky we even got this shot when we did: his entire body refracts light, so you can bet a flash camera or going outside in the sunshine wouldn't exactly work. He was a sweet guy."

"And this..." Gloved fingers grazed the nameplate of the third fallen Titan, a young boy with bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair. His eyes were glowing green, an eerie, unreal sort of green, and if he looked close enough, the outline of a ghostly figure was springing from the boy's body, straight at the camera and, inadvertently, at anyone who glanced at the picture itself. Nightwing closed his eyes and cursed, letting his fingers read the whoops and swirls in the name of this person.

"Joseph Wilson: Jericho", it said.

"I'm guessing this is the infamous Jericho that I'm hearing so much about."

For a few moments, Troia didn't say a word. But when she did, Nightwing was surprised at how quiet, almost breathless she sounded. "Yes. Jericho was... he was..." Her sentence faded, and she let it drop.

And maybe that was for the best, at the moment. What exactly could she say about the son of the man who screwed him up so badly? Who screwed with them both? What could he ever say?

The next picture just made him sad all over again. Her hair was the same color gold and just as cheery, with bright blue eyes shining bright and almost green behind her yellow goggles. She was wearing the same shirt she always did, the long sleeved, ebony shirt still too short, barely covering her midriff, and the emblazoned T for Terra and Titan standing out proud upon her chest. She was posed for combat, bent at the knees in a bracing position, her powers already crackling from her hands as fragments of rock and magma levitated in the air. Her hair was blowing in the breeze, and she looked beautiful, stunning, and just as free and fierce as she always had been in battle.

There was no mistaking Tara Markov: he could've spot her a mile away.

"I never knew her." Surprised, he jumped slightly at Troia's voice, forgetting she was there and lost in his own memories. "I'd always heard about her, and when I first met you all at once, and you told me about her... It made me feel like I should know her. So, I visit her every now and again, and tell her about me, about the Titans, about Beast Boy..." She trailed off, and lowered her head. "Raven says she can talk to her via telepathy, and Terra likes hearing my stories, but I'm not sure if that's true, or she's just saying that to make me feel better. After everything that's happened to her... to me... to you... we basically formed this bond between us, you know? I get you guys, and you get me..."

He didn't say it, but he felt the same way. All he could do was nod.

Shaking her head, the raven-haired beauty wiped a few tears away, and grasped his hand again. "Come on, Rich. Let's go meet the gang. I bet they're just dying to see you."

* * *

"Dude, I am so kicking your butt," whooped Beast Boy, his fingers moving rapidly on the already badly worn out controller. "You can't even touch me!" His green eyes twinkled as he looked at his best friend Cyborg, savoring the moment as his hover racer on the video game took the lead for the first time in thirty-seven consecutive games. "If you keep driving like that, I'll cream you for sure!" 

"Don't get your hopes up, Green Boy," stated his friend, grinning. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve." Suddenly, Cy's car on the TV screen swerved a corner, and overtook BB's in a matter of moments. "HA! BOOYAH! Beat that, Fuzzy!"

"Why you--"

A sudden whooshing noise behind them told them someone had come in, and, since only Troia had been out today, the changeling and the mechanoid didn't bother to even glance back.

"Hey Troia! Welcome back! Want chips?" A slender green body transformed into an octopus, and while two arms gripped the game controller, another grasped a bowl on the coffee table in front of them.

The voice that replied though wasn't female, and when they heard it, they automatically dropped everything, to stare. "Sorry, not hungry."

They were just the same as they had always been, except with a few minor adjustments. Both of them had newer uniforms, ones that Nightwing had never seen before. When BB changed back into human form, the dark-haired teen could see that Gar never gave up the black and purple; at least this uniform was a vast improvement on his other ones though. It was entirely black, with purple tiger stripes racing up the legs and meeting a violet shoulder-to-shoulder triangle that came down to the middle of his chest. No sleeves hampered his movement, and the former leader could tell that the changeling had worked out a bit; the muscles on his forest green arms were a good, decent size. His hair, surprisingly, was spikier, with a pair of goggles resting on his head, and his face was a bit thinner, more mature looking. Black biker gloves adorned his hands, with tiger paw prints in violet on the backs.

Cyborg was also revamped, his body sleeker, better built. The multiple, see-through plates were completely gone, replaced with more metallic hardware, nuts, and bolts. Pistons huffed and chugged away, an unnerving, high pitched but very audible whining noise filling the air. Almost every available space on his body was comprised of machinery, with only half his face and parts of his arms even marking his African-American decent. Cables composed parts of his neck, and silver steel plates created the internal and external skeleton he needed to survive. There were still transparent blue sections here and there, but not as many as there were before.

For two people he once knew well, they sure looked different.

"Whoa... Robin?"

"Rob?"

"That's not my name anymore," he replied, his arms crossing across his chest. "And you guys knew that."

An arm slung around his shoulder. "It's Nightwing, guys," said Troia brightly, trying to relieve some of the tension hanging in the air.

"Where've you been, Dude? We've missed you!"

Cyborg, however, was slightly more reserved, regarding the former leader with scrutiny. "More importantly, why are you here? I mean, you did up and leave us, and we haven't heard from you in a year--"

"Take it easy, Cy. I called him in for official Titan business."

"Business?" came a voice from down the hall, and a slender, darkly cloaked form had enough time to drop her book before she stuttered. "R-R-Robin?"

She too had changed. Still wearing the navy blue shroud, Raven's attire was now entirely ebony and gothic: her leotard was replaced by a long, flowing skirt that was cut up the front and the back in two slits, a pair of black leggings protecting her legs from the chills of the cold world. A matching tanktop stretched tightly across her abdomen, with flowing curly-cues and other shapes dancing across her stomach. Long, slender gloves covered her arms from just above the elbow to the beginnings of her fingers, the fabric weaving itself between the gaps and valleys of her pale, white fingers. He was surprised to see that she was wearing earrings, two small, red globes swinging like paddle balls every time she moved her head; Raven had always been unsure of her femininity, and continually insisted that they were unnecessary, hazardous, and rather annoying. Even her hair was longer, black, instead of her usual purplish color, and she looked older, more mature, like the "almost adult" she was. Not for the first time did he wonder where the time had gone, and what made her change so much; he almost missed it...

A glittering near her throat caught his eye next, and Nightwing caught sight of a silver necklace in the shape of half a ying-yang. Upon further inspection, he saw a paw print engraved into it, with three, glittering diamonds embedded into the metal. Strange... He turned to Beast Boy, and was rewarded for his deductions and accurate attentiveness: for across the changeling's neck was a matching partner, Raven's shadow self adorning the widening part of his ying-yang.

So she did move on... He always had an idea that the half-demon had feelings for him, and deep ones at that, even though he never let on that he knew. It didn't really matter now, but he was glad she had found someone else: although Beast Boy wasn't his first choice, he was still better than nothing.

Raven's cheeks blushed involuntarily, noticing his sweeping gaze upon her. "It's been a long time, Robin."

He was getting tired of repeating himself, but nevertheless, he did it again. "I'm not Robin anymore."

All she did was nod. "So you're not." Her eyes met Beast Boy's, and turned back, sharing a silent conversation in a matter of moments. "Of course you're not. You've become something completely different."

Troia laughed nervously, and slung an arm around Robin's shoulder. "C'mon, Rae, you don't need to be so cold. I mean, the gang's sort of back together, you know?"

"I'm here to take care of Slade, Troia, and that's it."

"Dude, what is your deal?" asked the green Titan, scratching his head with a half-formed bear claw. "I mean, you leave us for a year with a bad attitude, and now you're comin' back to deal with Slade. And the stick's still up your butt."

"Gar..." chided Raven, and glared at him. "You're not helping matters."

"You know what? Maybe Fuzzy's right," piped up Cyborg slowly. "It's like you never got over what--" Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and a look of pity replaced his expressions of surprise and confusion. "Oh."

He scowled, and shot the half-human a look of sheer distain. "Don't start, Cyborg. Just don't start."

"Is it true then?" Now it was Troia's turn to be surprised. "You haven't gotten over that deal with Slade?"

"Have you?"

She shot him a look. "I've dealt with it the only way I knew how: I told people about it. They helped me through it. I didn't bottle it all up like a soda ready to explode, like you do. I endured it, only because I had friends to help me out, and we'd do the same for you in a heartbeat if you'd let us."

"Maybe I don't want you to help me. Maybe I'd rather work it out myself, by myself, when I need to do it."

"Then perhaps you are being quite unwise," replied a voice from behind him, and Robin whirled around, in utter shock at seeing her once again.

She was like the others: so different, so changed... and yet, still so much the same. Her hair was so much longer than he had remembered, and so much redder as well, flowing to her hips in a cascade of ruby red with just a touch of something new; two braids now swung over her ears instead of solid, unkempt strands. Gone was the solid plated armlets in place of updated, purple leather ones with smaller strips of metal adorning them; her boots attained the same update, with even metal, steel-toe plating at the ends. Her belt now rode high on her hips, her midriff still showing, but her skirt ensemble was different. Three, short sections combined to mask anything inappropriate, with a light, silken overlay on top of them for flounce and decoration. Her silver collar was cut into silver bands instead of solid plates, and two sections on either side of her neck showed her orange colored, creamy skin along her collarbone. Also wearing earrings, these were crystalline stone, real, untamed and wild, like she was. In the middle of her forehead rested a turquoise beaded headband, like the ones he always saw in pictures of women from India and thereabouts.

What was most surprising was the tattoo below her right eye, in a rusted red color, and a matching one around her navel. She never seemed like the kind to get a tattoo, let alone two, but then again, she had always found ways to surprise him everyday. That was the kind of person Starfire really was: astoundingly unpredictable, stunningly sexy, and so beautiful... It was like standing in the presence of a goddess, and it took his breath away.

She blushed profusely, in the same manner Raven had, and whirled around slowly. "Are you satisfied with my selection for a new uniform?"

Troia caught Nightwing's slack-jawed expression and chuckled. "We all decided to update our uniforms a few weeks ago. I still have to slip into my new one, one of these days..."

"Troia, you have too many outfits," grumbled Beast Boy. "I mean, seriously, how many outfits do you NEED? You've got that one, the one you just put together last week, and your old red one..."

She waved him off, unconcerned. "A girl can never have too many clothes-"

"Nor too much modesty, huh Donna?" quipped Raven slyly.

Starfire laughed, sounding almost exactly like wind chimes. "It seems that Friend Donna has been outmatched. Touch, Friend Raven!"

"'Touch'?" Troia giggled. "You mean, touché, Star."

"Whatever," snapped Nightwing, momentarily out of his daze. He shook his head and slapped Troia's arm off his shoulder. "That's enough."

"Robin, please--"

"DON'T CALL ME ROBIN!" he snapped, glaring at the alien. "It's Nightwing now, Night-freakin'-wing! Now let's hurry up, find Slade, and then I can go back to Gotham."

"Rich..." murmured Troia.

"No, don't 'Rich' me, Donna. You knew that I never even wanted to come here in the first place. You and Batman made me do it."

"But Rich--"

"No, no buts, got it? You should at least feel lucky I made it this far."

Surprisingly enough, it was Cyborg who spoke next. "Why are you so angry with us? What did we ever do to you?"

"What didn't you do?"

"I am confused," Star sighed, frustrated. "It is as if you wish not to even rejoin the Titans. We are your friends, Friend Rob--"

He huffed, about to explode, when a dull slap stung him on his right cheek. He went down hard, and barely had strength enough to lift his head to glare at Troia as she stood over him, cracking her knuckles. "I didn't want to do that, but frankly, you're being an ass." Nightwing tried to protect, but a boot clamped itself down on his throat, preventing him from doing so. "Shut up. I'm so sick and tired of you belly-aching. You're Nightwing, for crying out loud, Richard! Start acting like it! Now take your complaints, take your burdens and your pain, and suck it up! I had to! Terra had to! Even Raven had to, so the least you could do is deal with it! You're not the only one with problems, you know!"

His hands moved without him being conscious of it. Twisting her ankle, he threw her off and jumped to his feet, furious. "Just stay away from me! STAY AWAY, as FAR AWAY as you can! I've had enough of this: I'm leaving!"


	3. Chapter 3: Healing and Dark Dealing

**Alexnandru Van Gordon-** I know, I KNOW, that's partly my fault for not updating soon enough. I'm sorry, really I am, for not getting that done. And you're right, I don't think Robin has yelled at his team in a very long time; you'll find out a great deal why he does that and why he's acting so angrily in this chapter, with his conversation with Star, and I think that will clear up a lot of the confusion over why he acted the way he did: he's doing it because he wants to keep his distance from them. He's so reluctant to let them back into his life because he knows it would remind him of the past, and what happened to him. He's trying to forget it ever happened, but as soon as he sees the Titans, he's back in the midst of all the pain and suffering that he had felt in Slade's custody. I'm trying to keep true to what I've done, and the comics, trying to get everything down the way I want it to, but sometimes it's just so hard, you know? Sometimes I lose track, but I'm still trying to keep with what I know, and what I've done in the past. Thanks for reviewing!

**Insanity 101**- Bitter indeed. And no, it's not a RobStar or BBRae... not really. It was just something that happened, with the clothing designs and whatever, but there's going to be no kissing in this fiction! Absolutely no kissing (although tender moments, like the one between Nightwing and Star in this chapter, sometimes do make an appearance). And you have to think about this: Nightwing went through hell. I PUT him through hell, and now he's back in the place where he WENT to hell. See why he's bitter? He just doesn't want to remember the past, but everyone brings it back up. He wanted to forget what happened with Slade, with them, and with them just being here, it totally freaks him out. Also, you have to realize, he still carries a lot of the guilt from the previous two stories. He let his friends die, he let himself get manipulated by a madman. He fought against the people who care about him, and almost abandoned the principles Bruce had taught him. Everything he went through, everything he became, violated every single moral, value and characteristic of his character, so what's Nightwing supposed to do? Like Batman, he keeps it in, and, like a powder keg, he can explode at a moment's notice. And thank you on the Troia aspect: I always pictured her, of all people, would treat Nightwing like a child. He's acting like one, and she's gone through relatively the same thing, no question about it, but she "survives" the side effects of working with Slade, while he just seems to be "enduring" them. Thanks for reviewing!

**Rogue-Aquarius**- LOL yeah, I decided not to move all my fictions. I'll probably still go the Yahoo group thing, but it'll be for some of the stuff I can't exactly post on here, like songfics and scripts and whatever. So yeah, isn't getting rid of me that easily. And thank you on the comic incorporation. I always try to do the best I can to make this not only a cartoon Teen Titans Story, but also a comic book Teen Titans story. Some of the histories and the backgrounds of the characters are richer, more colorful than in the cartoon series, and the comics really are a source of information and inspiration. To make the stories as ACCURATE as possible, I try and get every moment "comically" correct. Of course, at the same time, I'm trying to set these characters up for other aspects of their character which aren't in EITHER the comics or the show (hence the Troia/Slade situation. I gave birth to that sucker all on my own!), so I can still add my bit of flavor, and my dab of personality and style to the situation. I give myself just enough room to play, while still making it believable and mostly accurate, and that is what I'm most proud of! Oh, and if you want Batman stuff, check out my newest fiction collection, Gotham Knights: the Cat and Bat Collection. It deals with every single facet and complication that is the romance of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Selena Kyle/Catwoman. I have such great ideas... Thanks for reviewing! AQUARIANS ROCK! YEAH! Lol!

**KaliAnn**- I can respond to e-mails, I'm just... lazy. LOL, sorry, that's not a good excuse... I promise I'll try and be better at doing that, ok? Yeah, the Hall of the Fallen was a very emotional piece that I wrote, but it seems like such a natural thing... in the newer incarnation of the Teen Titans (i.e with Wonder Girl/Cassie Sandsmark, Superboy/Conner Kent, Robin/Tim Drake, etc.) they actually DO have an actual memorial INSIDE the Titans Tower that honors all of the Titans who died, including Jericho, Terra, and Troia (who I'm debating about killing off at the moment... the idea's tempting). So I thought that it would be cool to have something similar. And don't worry: Nightwing will come to realize that he's being an idiot, all in due time. Thanks for the review!

**Infamous One-** LMAO you said it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Dlsky**- Ahhhh, detail. It is the key to any good story, and I'm happy I gave you an accurate description of the outfits! I even saved the ones I liked to my desktop, and had them open when I was writing those parts, just to make sure I got everything correct. And yeah, Donna's not one to stand Nightwing's childish behavior. I mean, she's gone through basically the same thing, and she's still in one piece, right? She can't stand to be near him right now because all he has been seeing when he came back were the bad memories that he wants to forget. It makes her sad for him, and at the same time, it annoys her like no other. And thanks for the compliment on making everything believable. I always felt that stories that are driven by the Characters instead of the plot seem to be richer, more realistic than if it just went on plot alone. That's why I have parts where you get inside these characters' heads (mostly Troia and Robin, but that's besides the point lol) and see what they see. You get a good idea on the characters' intentions and their characteristics that way, what makes them who they are, and I'm happy I could accomplish that feat! Thank you very much! Thanks for the review!

Well, here I am again, sitting at my desk at 9:30 in the morning, and looking forward to a whole day of fiction work. I've got two more parts to do on Gotham Knights: Two Sides, Two Stories (which, btw, is partly up-- the first part is already posted) as well as a chapter or two on Teen Titans. I'm aiming to put myself ahead, like I did this time, and just write one chapter after another. I actually wrote this piece directly after chapter 2, 7 word pages worth, but I wanted you guys to "settle" on one chapter before you devoured the next lol! I don't want to overload you guys too much!

Oh, btw, there's a foreshadowing thing in this chapter, dealing with Nightwing. If you could figure it out, I'll give you a cyber cookie! Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Quicker than the Flash, he was out of there, striding back the way he came until he reached the door. He shouldn't be here, in this place, with these people... What did they know about what he needed and how he felt? Nothing, that was what. They didn't know of the personal hell he'd been through, the nightmares for months on end, the nervous anticipation that made him jump at every sound, scream at every dark shadow, and haunted his very soul. He had gone through months of psychiatric therapy with Doctor Leslie Thompkins, thanks to Bruce and his connections, and still, that didn't work. He had so much anger, so much rage... so much fear. The brainwashing had worn off, but not the side effects. Slade had done the unthinkable: he'd gotten to him, and it was something he severely didn't like. Sometimes he wondered if he was ever going to get back to normal again, or if that was even possible anymore.

Somehow, he doubted it, and that was why he chose to bury himself in work, to keep his focus on the creatures of the night instead of the ones inside his own mind.

He thought he'd gotten over it all, had gotten used to the way things were, how different they were and would be in the future, but coming back to the Titan's Tower, seeing everyone again... It just made the pain clenched inside his heart and mind bubble up and resurface.

"Robin?" It was Star again, coming up behind him. Funny, she had always been there for him... She hadn't changed a bit in that respect.

Not bothering to correct her, he still couldn't shake himself out of his anxiety induced funk. "Go away."

"Robin, please, tell me what is wrong. You are acting so strangely--"

"I have my reasons."

"No, that is not what I mean. Of course you are angry, but I have the inclination to believe that you are not angry at us. Perhaps you are experiencing something else, something that causes you to act with aggression, and you are taking it out upon us. Your friends."

Leave it to her to hit the nail on the head. "Just leave me alone."

"You are afraid; afraid of us, of what has happened to you, of him. You fear Slade, do you not?"

"...Not exactly."

"Then please, tell me what is wrong. Please, Robin, tell me what is troubling you. Perhaps I can be of assistance in helping to alleviate your feelings."

Out of anyone in the world, it was always either Raven or Starfire who was able to sooth him, to talk to him of personal matters, the two who genuinely seemed to care. More than anything, he wanted to bear his problems with them, hoping... for what? Forgiveness for his actions? For comfort from the weight on his shoulders? The strength to face what he feared?

The part of him who was raised by Batman and enforced and strengthened through a year and six months of hell refused to let him show a single sign of sentimental, emotional weakness. "Just leave me alone."

Her soft touch gripped his jaw powerfully, and drew his gaze into her two, gorgeous green-on-green eyes. "Do not ignore me, please. I am only here to help you, Robin, but you continually make it hard for me to do so. Do not cast me aside like a Grandelschlurb does to its mate after breeding season. I am not going to let you drive yourself to become reclusive, secretive, and ultimately alone."

Well, this was new. Shocked at her boldness, he was caught off guard. "Star, I--"

She hushed him. "Please, no more excuses. Tell me what is really bothering you."

He sighed, and slumped his shoulders, defeated. "It's just that... being here, in this place... It's filled with memories: good ones, bad ones... And right now, the bad is getting noticed more than the good. Everything that's happened to me has happened here, and I left because I couldn't deal with it. This place... the memories... they were smothering me. I was so mad at Slade, at myself, and afraid of the future, what I could become, and what he had done to me. All of this, all of you... were a reminder of it all. So, I left."

Starfire listened closely, and she brushed a tear from his eye with a delicate finger. "I'm sorry, Robin. If I knew what it is that you are going through from experience--"

"Trust me: you don't want to know."

"If I did, perhaps I could be of better assistance. Perhaps Troia--"

"I don't need Donna. We have a bond, but it's different, too much the same. She and I... we're a lot alike, too much, in fact, to be of much help, and I don't need a person like that. I just need someone who gets me, who understands me."

"I do."

* * *

The time was now. Just as it had been with the demon girl, now was the time to strike. Now was the time for the apocalypse, the Armageddon, the end of the world, and he was going to be the one responsible for bringing it all full circle. It was his plan, his motives, his desires. Everything was perfect, everything was in place: all he had to do was summon her, beckon to her, and it would all be done.

Deeply gazing into the glass orb on the pedestal, his masked face glowed in white, ethereal light, reflecting off his one exposed eye before lighting up the rest of the room. Smiling to himself, he called to her, waiting for her to make her presence known through the ball. "Oh mighty of the Arcane, mother of chaos and discord, your faithful servant humbly summons you into the mortal realm. Hear my call, dark priestess, and hear a proposition you simply cannot refuse."

Almost instantly, the orb burned blood red, and cloud formations began to spin faster and faster inside. Sparks shot off from its surface, blue, green, red, and tumbled to the floor like a waterfall of fire, as the candles that were light around the room blew out from an unseen, abrupt wind. Magic hummed in the air, and Slade could almost taste the power it held: such power he'd only experienced three times in his lifetime. Aside from the arcane magic of Trigon, his former master, the only one who could produce this much magic, this much primeval power within an instant, was her.

Oh yes, her.

SLADE. Her voice, straight in his mind, set his blood boiling, and he drank in the dark energies that she was capable of mustering.

"My dear Madame, how long it's been sense I've heard your voice inside my mind."

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME FOR? TO DOUBLE CROSS ME YET AGAIN? YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO PLAY WITH WHAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

So she still remembered. He cringed. "Don't take me for some fool. I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew I was just going to owe you a favor someday, in payment for my... interjection."

YOU COST ME A GREAT DEAL, SLADE. YOU COST ME TIME WITH MY FAVORITE PLAYTHING.

"But I thought time was unlimited for you."

LIES. AND THAT IS NOT THE POINT, YOU IMBECILE. I COULD KILL YOU WERE YOU STAND AT THIS VERY MOMENT, AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO DO TO STOP ME?

"What?"

NOTHING.

"Please, Madame, you still had your playtime. And if I do say so myself, I think it made more of an impact."

MAYBE SO. WHICH IS WHY YOU ARE STILL ALIVE.

"Then let us remember the fond memories, and smooth out the bumps in our relationship. Starting with a business proposition."

BUSINESS? WHAT SORT OF BUSINESS?

He grew smug. "I know where your plaything is."

TELL ME.

"Not so fast. I want something in return."

LIKE THE LAST TIME? AND DOUBLE CROSS ME WHEN YOU GET THE MOMENT TO STRIKE? YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL.

"No, it has nothing to do with that. I wouldn't dare take your dear toy away from you. I want something else."

I CAN SEE INTO YOUR HEART AND YOUR MIND, SLADE. YOU WANT THE BOY.

"Yes."

WHY?"

Wasn't it obvious? "I'm in desperate need of a successor. Things didn't... work out the way I wanted them to. Both my real sons are dead, Garth and Joe, and my daughter has yet to make her appearance anywhere in the world. Besides, I've grown... attached, to him. This time though, I want you to do something a bit more. Exert a bit of your supernatural muscle, so to speak."

SUCH AS?

"I want his mind completely wiped. Stripped clean of everything but the essentials, such as his training, and the darkness in his soul. I want him to be perfect, the perfect son, undamaged, and completely at my beck and call. I don't care how you do it, just as long as it's permanent, and wouldn't damage him too much. Hell knows I've tried it my way, and it failed. And you can play with the rest of the Titans as much as you want, and gain new toys to do as you will to them. Just leave Robin to me. And I'm sure Raven's father would love to have her back, so if you'd kindly deliver her to Trigon, you'd be doing me a favor. He always did want to get to know his daughter better... and it might actually be fun to watch the world end."

INTERESTING. YOU HAVE ME INTRIQUED, SLADE. BUT I KNOW YOU BETTER. WHAT IS THE CATCH TO THIS LITTLE DEAL?

He had her right where he wanted her. "You can have your little toy on one condition: we do things my way. We follow the plan I have concocted to the letter, no games, no catches, just perfect in every way possible. When I tell you to jump, you do it, regardless of how high. I tell you to affect time, you do it without any questions. You do as I ask, and I swear to you that you will cause so much pain and destruction that you will have done the unthinkable: you'd crush self-identity and hope itself. Isn't that what you've always wanted? What you always dreamed of? I can make it happen, as long as you follow my directions... partner. Do we have a deal?"

YOU BARGAIN WITH YOUR LIFE THEN: YOUR AMBITION WILL BE YOUR UNDOING, SLADE. A BEING SUCH AS MYSELF WOULD RATHER KEEL OVER AND DIE BEFORE ACCEPTING SUCH TERMS.

"Do we have a deal?"

Silence. Moments passed by, causing him to shift his footing. Was she going to agree? Or was she going to refuse? She couldn't... this was too good of an opportunity. She couldn't say no, she couldn't...

He awaited her answer.

* * *

"Hey guys, is there any way I could play?" Troia asked sweetly, edging closer and closer to Cyborg's left side on the couch. She poked him in the gut playfully. "Is there any way I could verse Beast Boy, Cy?"

"You'd have better luck finding a flamingo in the Arctic," replied Raven, laughing slightly.

"Not a chance," Cyborg said through gritted teeth, ignoring the girls and focusing entirely on the TV. "I've still got to whoop BB on this level. I rule at this one, but he's already about 200 yards ahead of me."

"Eat my space dust, Computer with Legs," joked the changeling, laughing heartily. "I'm going to kick your butt all the way to the moon and back!"

She moaned, and got up, suddenly deciding that maybe grabbing a bite to eat was better choice. "Boys will be boys," she muttered, and rolled her eyes.

However, she never made it there. A sharp, burning pain erupted from her chest, and she uttered a muffled scream before she fell to her knees, slamming her forehead on the corner of the Titans' island and cutting it open.

Raven, however, reacted immediately, and ran just quick enough to catch the dark-haired teen in her arms. "Donna, what's wrong?" With wide eyes, she was helpless as a gash six inches wide appeared on the other's stomach, bleeding profusely as Troia screamed in terror, her wild eyes searching everywhere at once.

Her mind was in absolute chaos as she frantically dodged Raven's face. "Oh God, not again, please not again! No! NO! Not again! Oh God! Oh God!" Terror blinded her beyond anything she'd ever known, and she screamed over and over again, trembling from head to toe in convulsions. "Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME! OH GOD! No, not again! NOT AGAIN!"

Before long, their game forgotten, Beast Boy and Cyborg rushed to her side, and stared dumbfounded as Raven tried keeping the girl in place. "A little HELP would be nice!"

"Got it!" replied the changeling, and immediately turned into a gorilla to counteract his friend's strength. He held her legs down as Raven and Cyborg secured her arms, but she was so strong, so ferocious...

"Get away from me! GET AWAY FROM ME! OH GOD, it hurts, it HURTS! Not again, please God, not again! Help me, help me! SOMEBODY HELP ME! HELP ME!" She was crying now, involuntarily thrashing about until she managed to dislodge her friends with a tremendous burst of power, and flew directly towards the opening door...

...Straight into Nightwing's tense but firm arms.

"Help me... help me..." She burned out as blackness crossed her vision, giving into fitful sleep at a dead faint.

He stared down at her, then at Starfire who was standing beside him, and picked her up, resolve in his eyes. "Raven, prep the medical scanner. I want to know what the hell happened here."

"She just... went ballistic."

Cyborg tried to explain, but was tongue-tied. Eventually it was Raven who spoke up as she walked towards the medical wing, with Nightwing and the gang not too far behind. "She was fine one minute, then she was gripping her stomach, and hit her head on the counter. I don't know what happened but... that gash across her stomach just appeared. Nothing physical caused it, from what I can see, but something did. Something most likely supernatural."

Beast Boy spoke next, as he shifted out of his animal form. "The next thing we knew, she was on the floor, screaming for help. She was scared out of her mind."

"Raven, can you search her mind? See what exactly she was so afraid of?"

"I can try." She placed a finger to Troia's temple and squeezed her eyes shut in concentration. Seconds later, she recoiled, almost fainting from the sheer shock until the changeling caught her in his arms. "Thank you, Gar," she murmured, and groaned, rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

"What did you find out?"

"Nothing. Her mind's in chaos, Nightwing. I can't tell what she's afraid of because her mind's so screwed up with memories of the past and the present... It's like finding a needle in a haystack that's a mile high as well as wide."

"Will Friend Troia be alright?" asked Starfire.

"I don't know. We'll have to get her hooked up to the scanner to find out."

A soft voice muttered in the darkness, and it took everyone awhile to realize that it was Troia. "Dark... Dark An... Angel..."

"What?" Nightwing bent a little and raised her up, trying to hear. "What did you say, Troia? Can you hear me? What did you say?"

"Dark... Angel... Dark Angel... She's... coming. Run. Run away... g-get... away... if you w... want to live. She... she'll kill you all."


	4. Chapter 4: Fear the Angel

**Rebel-Aquarius_-_** Well, you could feel ALL of that, if you'd like, LOL! And exactly: Slade is obsessed with his favorite apprentice, and he wants him back, which is the basis of everything he does (I just hope that sort of plotline won't get too old. I've only done it for... oh, almost all of my fictions on here lol). And about Troia dying... haven't decided whether or not I want to include that bit. Troia's fate is completely up in the air at this point, and I'll probably have her live through this one before killing her off in another (I love this series too much! I can't keep away from the fiction work!). But then again, I remind you, her fate's up in the air, and I still don't know what I'm going to do with her as of yet. Anyway, glad you're enjoying this plotline! I live to serve! Thanks for the review!

**Moonjava- **I'm thrilled that you do! Stick around for more TT action! Thanks for the note!

**Aeris-Raven-** LOL you thought it was random, huh? I'll give you an explanation down below in my author's notes, k? I'd just like everyone to read it so they get a good idea why Troia is acting unlike herself. And Yeah, that is EXACTLY why Robin became Nightwing: By "Starting over" he thought he could live a different life and forget everything that's happened to him. He doesn't want to remember some of the things that he's forced to remember, and so he gets a little bit bitter when he gets immersed in it again. Thanks for the review!

**Infamous One**- I knew that was their names! I knew it, I knew it! LOL! I don't read the current Teen Titans comics for nothin'... And I don't know about you, but I happen to like Rose, no matter how screwed up she is. She's slightly scary, but still... she's pretty darn cool. Thanks for reviewing!

**Insanity 101**- LOL I love to drive my readers crazy! LOL! And yes, you basically have everything straight so far on Slade's fiendish plans (I loved the way you described it too! Got a good laugh at me on the "Squeaky toys" comment lol). And you're right about Troia and Nightwing except for one difference: Nightwing never told Batman, in full, what happened. I don't think he could, since doing so would mean telling Bruce that he gave into weakness and didn't tough it out, like Batman would have done. Nightwing gave in to Slade at the end of SINKING INTO SLADE, and said, "I'm done. You want me, then fine. Just do what you have to do in order for me to never remember my life. If you want me, give me a whole new life, because I'm done with mine." Batman would NEVER do that, not if there was a way out he could see, or otherwise. He'd fight to the death, but Nightwing didn't. It's one of the things that makes Robin/Nightwing so appealing to me: his compassion, care, and trust for people is his biggest weaknesses, along with his temper. He seems more human than Batman, who seems, sometimes, to be this gothic god of vengeance (I say seems because I know that he's more than that... so much more, in fact. Check out my Gotham Knights: Year One I renamed it, but it's still Gotham Knights! fiction every once in awhile, when I get to the really good Batman stuff. It's my depiction of how the Dark Knight really is). Robin is what makes these fictions so fun to do, because he's the classic hero type, and you could put them through hell, put them in a depression, and then they'd bounce back stronger than before. If Robin was never in the Teen Titans, I could say that, although I love Raven to death, I wouldn't do anything like writing three TT stories that are pages and pages long. No way. Maybe short ones, but it's Robin that draws me to TT, and you can get so many plotlines going with just him alone. And Troia, in the past fiction, was talking about Themyscira, the Amazon home of Diana and herself (yes, I consider Donna an Amazon). I say that because if she went back there and she was dealing with it the same way Nightwing was... well, let's just say she wouldn't be staying for too long. She'd be too ashamed to show her face. And maybe Nightwing feels that too: ashamed of his actions, ashamed of his attitude, ashamed of himself. Anyway, thanks for the review!

**KaliAnn**- LOL, I'm just glad you guys didn't forget me! Here I am, updating after a month of nothing, and I fully expected all of you guys to leave! Lol! And nope, Slade never learns that you shouldn't mess with cosmic deities... The guy's got guts though, for dealing with people who could turn him into carbon molecules at the drop of a hat... And yeah, I figured with her nature, Starfire was the perfect one to comfort him for the moment... Raven's still a bit shocked about Nightwing coming back, and Star really cares for him, so... OK, will do on the e-mail thing. Thanks for reviewing!

**AriesFalcon**- ROFL, so you think I lost my touch? Nope, I haven't: I've just made the Raven/Robin/Star triangle even more intense and deeper. At this point, Nightwing's still suffering, but in comes this alien, who looks beautiful in the new uniform she has, and it's one of those moments where he noticed that she was a woman LOL! All this time, he's pictured Starfire as just one of the guys, you know? There was some tension there, but he swung towards Raven because of common ground. He never really noticed Kory until these past couple chapters, and it took him by surprise. He "said" all those things in his head because he's just taken aback, and he really doesn't know that to say about her, so he "thinks" of the first things that come to his mind. It's not that he likes her better than Raven at this point: it's just that he's... well, surprised Starfire's a woman lol! And you have to think about this: Star's an alien, ergo, she wears entirely different things than human beings do, which would account for Nightwing to say the word "sexy" about her. She's wearing things that he never dreamed of, and he thinks it's sexy because she does that. You can all someone that and not mean it in a romantic sense. And to be honest, I am a RobStar and BBRae fan... and a RobRae, BBStar... not to mention a Cy/Jinx as well, but that's besides the point. I appreciate all the fandom pairings, but, like you, I think I do like RobRae the best. Too much common stuff to be ignored, plus, the current eps on TT def. swing RobRae (Like in Birthmark, and heck, even Haunted at times). And I'll explain about the BBRae stuff here in this chapter: you'll find it's not exactly what Nightwing assumed it was (meaning, it's not exactly romance. Although BBRae is a cute coupling, like I said before, RobRae all the way here lol). And I always thought that, in the TV series, they were teens, or, in my mind: Robin-16, Raven-16, Starfire-15, Beastboy-15, Cyborg-17. This takes place about a year and a half later, so you have Robin and Raven closer to 18, Cyborg around 19, and Starfire and Beast Boy about 17. Troia, in this incarnation, is also around 18, and with these ages, you start to get the real "old soul" of these characters, and why they're changing so quickly into adults, and dressing more like adults than kids. Robin became Nightwing because he needed to start over, so that's why he's Nightwing now... and don't worry: Robin isn't completely gone and out of the picture: and you'll be pleased with who it is that helps him realize that he's not done being Robin. In response to your other note, I'm happy you like Troia. I've tried hard to make her somewhat similar to Terra, only... completely different (does that make sense?). What I mean is that Troia has issues. Big ones, and I don't shy away from that: I make that a focus. You see why, despite her powers, she's human, and she screws up, she lets people down, and she is all-around flawed. She's a true hero, but she's done things that aren't so hero-like in her past, and that's what I love about my version: she's so much like Robin, so much like Raven, and yet, completely different. Thanks for both your reviews!

**Dlsky- **Thank you, thank you, thank you! And yeah, Dark Angel is this omnipotent being, capable of so much nasty stuff... Seemed only right that she be displayed in a way that would give that sort of an image. And yeah, Slade's one of those people who lays everything out on the table when he's for you, and when he's against you, you better expect some secret stuff going on. And plus, he knew that to deal with this being he had to be honest, show that he had nothing to hide, and that's why he told her everything. And I thought the "Dad-Daughter quality time" thing was kind of funny too. And an 11? Out of 10? I feel honored! Thank you! And yeah, I did see his Nightwing picture: I didn't have his permission to use that image, so I just borrowed from the comic book adaptation of the Nightwing costume. Anyway, thank you for the review!

OK, now, I know that some of you are wondering what's going on with Troia during her freak out session, and why she just started screaming like a lunatic. Put yourself in Troia's shoes for a moment: you live your life out exactly how you want to, then suddenly, this witch who holds your life in her hands decides to off you. Every single time life is going great, she swoops down and ruins it, torturing you, your loved ones, and anyone she feels like, reigning over your life with sheer terror, horror and destruction. When you look at her it's basically looking at your death. And this lady is one sick puppy: she enjoys flaying your little dog alive, and stripping the skin off your lover, just to see how much he would bleed. This sadistic, satanic monster taunts you, makes you relive a nightmare over and over again, and she DOES NOT STOP. She considers you her play toy, her plaything, and she wants to see just how much she can abuse you before you break. Wouldn't YOU freak out if you get the same pain in your gut as you had before, right before she came for you? Wouldn't you be scared out of your mind for not just yourself, but your friends too? I'd be terrified, and that's exactly how Troia feels. Dark Angel is to Troia what Trigon is to Raven, only Dark Angel's not concerned with destroying the world: She wants to destroy life itself, mainly, Troia's. Just because she can. There's no rhyme or reason to what she does: she just does it, if it amuses her. THAT is why Troia freaks out. THAT is why she starts screaming like a lunatic, doesn't let people touch her, and basically says, "Get away from me, because she'll kill you all if you're anywhere near me".

And I totally made up carbonium. It's nothing real, but for those of you who want to know what exactly it is, it's basically pliable, diamond banding that you can use as restraints for the superheroes with superior strength. Since Diamonds are the hardest materials on the planet, I bet even Superman would meet his match with something that is diamond based. And they are made from carbon, so hence carbonium, a restructured, diamond-like substance that is so strong, it can even restrain superstrength. Hey, if the shoe fits... At least this is not some rock that can sap a person's superstrength or anything. Sheesh...

Anyway, on we go to the fourth chapter, where things get a whole lot hotter. And the chaos and evil level goes up like, 30. Enjoy!

* * *

The first thing she noticed when she woke up were the restraints wrapped around every portion of her body. Titanium, laced with diamond-based carbonium. Not even Superman could break out of them, and Troia gave up struggling with them before she even started.

The medical room was dark as a cavern, but that didn't stop her from spying a figure across the room, most likely checking her charts and stats with care. "Raven?"

The witch immediately flew to her side, a hand placed over one of hers. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap. And why am I in restraints?"

She chuckled, and flipped her hood back with a clipboard-filled hand. "You were having nightmares, and there was no other way we could contain you. You sure did give Cyborg a pretty big bruise on his face." She taped the chart she held and pointed out a few things to her. "Heart rate skyrocketed for a while there. I hadn't seen one so high in awhile, not since Robin... I mean, Nightwing, was getting haunted by visions of Slade. Yours climbed higher though, and for a while, we didn't know if you were going to make it or not. You almost put yourself into cardiac arrest."

Troia slumped, groaned, and felt woozy. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"No. I must've blacked out or something. What did I do? What did I say?"

She was silent for a moment, a look of sadness briefly playing across her features before her necessary, stoic mask was put back in place. "You were screaming about Dark Angel."

Silence. "Dark Angel..." she whispered, fear edging into her voice. "No wonder..."

"Donna, what is going on? I've never seen you so scared before. It was like you couldn't feel anything but fear. Your mind was utter chaos, remembering the past, the present, what might happen in the future... you were everywhere at once, and I've never seen you shake so bad! You moaned about a pain in your chest, and then you were shrieking like a lunatic."

Dare she say it? Softly, she replied. "That was because Dark Angel was squeezing my heart. Literally."

"What?"

The dark-haired teen laughed shrilly, impulsively, over an ongoing joke that wasn't funny. "She holds my life in her hands, you know, a replica of my heart. Anytime she wants to give me a squeeze, saying she's coming to get me, she can do it without a second thought. She can off me anytime, any day, anywhere, and I can't do shit to stop her. She controls my life, Raven, not me. I'm sure you feel the same way sometimes."

Raven nodded, understanding. "Yes, sometimes. There are moments where I feel like my father is dictating my life. It's because of him that I have to watch what I express and feel, so I can control my powers."

"At least you're spared from spontaneously dying."

A short laugh. "Sometimes, I 'm not so sure." She patted Donna's hand in comfort for her friend, and began to walk out, talking along the way. "The others are anxious to hear of your recovery. I'll tell them what you've told me, ok? That way, you won't have to explain it twice."

"Thanks Rae."

* * *

When Raven closed the door behind her, Nightwing silently looked up from the bench he was sitting on, alarm plaguing every nuance of his face. "What's going on, Rae? What happened to her? How is she?"

She sighed despondently, and placed the chart she was holding in its proper place on the back of the door. That wasn't a good sign. "Simply put, she's doing better than she was physically. Mentally, we will never know. Apparently, she's in the same boat you were when you were infected with that dust from Slade's mask, and began seeing him everywhere. Only this time, her heart rate wasn't high from exertion: it was from fear."

Digesting this, he slipped off his mask and rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of all of this. "So this Dark Angel person... she's the reason why Donna's so terrified?

Surprised, she looked at him quizzically, then remembered. "That's right, you weren't there when she told us." Taking a deep breath, she fiddled with her long gloves before sharing what she knew. "Donna told us that she's cursed to live forever."

"Well, that doesn't sound like such a--" A slim, pale finger on his lips shushed him, cool to the touch.

"Stop. Listen, Richard, and don't interrupt."

He did as he was told.

"She's cursed to live forever, but through multiple lives. Dark Angel is a creature of unimaginable power, and puts Donna through hell every so often for her own personal amusement. To her, Donna is a toy that she wants to see how far she can abuse before it breaks. Every single time her life starts to get better and better, tragedy strikes, caused by that black witch. Donna suffers from Dark Angel like a plague, in much the same was as I do from Trigon; only, the difference is that I will not suffer for eternity."

"Sounds like she has it rough."

"Rougher than we do. We need to figure out a way to help her, because the alternative is to let our friend die, and most likely ourselves. I understand the nature of wicked beings, and this Dark Angel, whoever she is, seems like the sort of person who wouldn't object to flaying us alive because it amuses her."

Nightwing shivered, sickened. "What kind of monster would do this to her?"

"Obviously not the warm, fuzzy kind."

He couldn't help but laugh. "You pick that up from your boyfriend?"

Deep blue eyes looked quizzically at him. "Boyfriend?"

"You know, Beast Boy."

She laughed, and almost caused the fire extinguisher on the wall to explode with her power. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Huh? But that pendant thing--"

Her slim fingers unconsciously rubbed said item, and smiled, thinking. "After you left to run off and be Nightwing, Beast boy was pretty crushed. Under the impression that you had to get away from us, and you couldn't stand us after what you've been through, he wouldn't stop whimpering like a kicked puppy dog for weeks. When Troia came back, it seemed to give him hope, and he became so adamant about keeping us all together that he made everyone buy something that 'defines our friendship'. When we did what he asked us to, we shared with each other, so we all had a piece of our friends, and we wouldn't forget them. This is Beast boy's gift to me. He has a matching one for himself, with my raven symbol on it."

Suddenly, he felt left out. "What did you share with Starfire? Cyborg? Troia?"

She hesitated, as if she wasn't sure how to answer. "Well, Cyborg gave me a picture frame that he made himself. It doubles as a holographic projector of the five of us, and when you were here. I gave him one of my old gloves. If he rubs the jewel on it, I can hear it, no matter where it is, and he could summon me whenever he feels lonely, or in need of a friend."

"You and Troia?"

"She gave me a huge, blue diamond that she handmade herself. She loves making thoughtful things like that with her superstrength... It catches the light that sometimes spills into the room, and I love the rainbow effect it makes. It reminds me that no matter how dark the situation is, there still is hope, waiting to shine through. I gave her a raven pendant that she wears a lot, when she's not in costume."

"And Star?"

Now, she looked slightly embarrassed. "We... exchanged tattoos."

He laughed so hard, he doubled over. "Tats? You mean you've got a tattoo somewhere?" He looked her over twice before he asked, "Where?"

"None of your business," she fumed, her emotions exploding the fire extinguisher this time. "All of us girls exchanged tattoos. Star has two, from the two of us, and Donna and I both have one."

"So that's why Starfire has them over her eye and on her stomach... Where's Troia's?"

"Along her spine. I'm surprised you didn't see it: it's a big one, just above her pants line. She was more daring than I was."

He grinned. "Well I can't really see it through the jumpsuit she wears."

"On of her other costumes is open in the back. If you want to be a pervert, go ahead and look."

"So what do they mean?"

"The one Star and I share, the one under her eye, means friendship. Hers and Donna's means 'blood sisters', since they are pretty close. Plus, their powers are almost identical, so it was only natural that they get that."

"Yeah..." Longing welled up inside of him. He'd missed this... this coming together, like a family. What else didn't he know about, and what did he miss? He'd made his choice: he went off to do his own thing, to start again anew under a new identity, but what had he lost by leaving? He thought giving up Robin was the best thing he'd done in a long time, but was it really true?

She caught his thoughts. "You're wondering why you didn't stay for this, right?"

Surprised, Nightwing was caught off guard. "Y-yeah. I mean, here you guys are giving gifts, exchanging tats... and I missed out on that. It was my choice, but I missed out. I don't regret the decision I made, but I regret doing it, you know?"

A smile played across her face, and she gripped on of his hands in both of hers. "I understand. Listen, Troia is most likely sleeping now, so why don't you go and get comfortable with being here again. You might be here awhile if we're going to catch Slade. If I were you, I'd get myself situated in my room." Unexpectedly, she winked at him, and nodded towards the way. "I'll keep you posted on her condition."

"Thanks Rae," he murmured, and drew her close, kissing the top of her forehead and wrapping her in a grateful hug. "You're the best."

"I know." She let him walk away for a bit before she called him back. "Robin?"

This time, he answered to the name. "Yeah?"

"I noticed you seemed more open this time. You're better than when you came in this morning."

He smiled, and he didn't need to be a psychic to know that she liked it when he did so. "Yeah, well, I have two of the best gal pals I could ever hope for. Took me a bit to realize it, but being angry at you guys won't solve anything. I resented coming back here because of the bad memories, but with you and Star, I'm beginning to see some improvement. Being gone for so long has made me realized what I missed more than what I hated."

She nodded, and gave him a shy smile. "I'm happy for you."

"I thought you weren't supposed to show emotion, Raven," he chided playfully.

"You aren't the only one who's changed, Richard," she replied, and turned back towards Troia's medical room. "Now go. I'll make sure to tell you when she wakes up."

* * *

It was happening again. The fear welling inside her heart, the terror grip on her mind; everything was repeating themselves again for the umpteenth time in her lifetime. She knew she was dreaming, but still, it shook her very heart and soul.

The world was aflame in rings of fire, brimstone scented the air like rainfall as she glanced around to the world that had slipped from perfectly normal to insanely hellish. A darkness enveloped Jump City, the sky burned gold with toxic gases as dark, heavy rain clouds were drizzling the areas just beyond the horizon with sizzling, acid rain. The buildings around her were crumbling upon their cemented bases like block towers, collapsing under their own weight like tin cans under pressure. Grass? There was no grass, only black loam plagued by all manners of disgusting creatures, both earthly and satanic, imagined and real. Bodies littered the ground like street trash, some already corpses while others screaming, croaking, dying, moaning their prayers between cracking, parched and dehydrated lips.

"This is... hell on Earth," she breathed, horrified.

"It is destiny incarnate," whispered a voice to her left, and she turned sharply, her eyes wide in fear.

But there was nothing there.

"It is the future, little Troia. Can't you taste it? Smell it? Breathe it in?"

"Where are you?" she screamed out, contorting her body this way and that, desperate for a face, a body, some warning on where she was before she struck.

"I'm here." To the left! "No, I'm here." To the right!

Long, thin fingers slid themselves around her neck, and Troia choked, gasping for air and she met a deathly white face eye to eye. They were black, pure, ebony black and her lips shut automatically, frantically trying to disappear from the sight of her blood red pupils. The two and a half inch nails punctured her fragile skin like a nail would a balloon, a second hand catching the drops with her fingers and running a pink tongue against them. Her crimson lips pulled back into a fiendish grin as she laughed hard, a booming, grating noise like fingernails on a chalkboard; the cacophony noise sending shivers up and down her spine.

Then again, all it took was one mention of Dark Angel's name to send her into epileptic fits.

"And you thought you could get away. Don't you ever learn, my dear, little Donna? You can never get away. Ever. You are mine, my toy, my pawn, my prize. I shall hunt you until the day you die, and then snatch your life away in the blink of an eye. And then, the fun begins again in another life, another day. Your blood sings to be, Troia, begging me to take your existence again, and I have put it off for far too long. I cannot resist much longer."

"This... this isn't real... It's not real! You're not real!"

She chuckled again, and squeezed tighter. "If I wasn't real, could I crush your trachea and snap your neck? Could I choke you like this?"

God, she couldn't breathe! She couldn't breathe, and she could practically feel her face turn a particularly suffocating shade of purple. God, there was no air! No air! "Stop... please, stop this... not again... I... need... to breathe..."

Suddenly, she had more than enough air whooshing into her lungs, as the witch threw her to the ground, the teen's head cracking sharply against a wickedly axe-shaped patch of volcanic rock. She cried in agony, her vision tinted red as extra lashes of red blood were slashed upon her forehead, a token of Dark Angel's affections.

Laughter. The laughter was painful on the ears. "Expect me sooner than you think, and not late enough to spare yourself another day of your pathetic life. I grow anxious for the taste of victory. I'll see you soon, love. Don't forget me."

"No... No..." she moaned, tears tinted pink flowing down her face... "No... No..."

* * *

"No... No..."

She was barely conscious, and Raven gripped her hand painfully, trying to do her best to ease her friend's pain, horrified. "Troia! Troia, wake up! Wake up! DONNA!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The patient screamed bloodcurdlingly, inhumanly hoarse and shrill at the same time. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Donna! You're ok! You're ok!" Frantic, Raven tried everything she could, grateful for the carbonium bands for once. God, she was so strong, and bucking painfully; if she didn't settle down, she was going to cause more damage to herself than she already had...

Nightwing burst into the room, followed by Star and Beast Boy, when he saw what was going on. His eyes widened behind his mask, and automatically started barking orders, jumping over the bed and grasping his friend's other hand. "Keep her steady! Star, take her shoulders! Beast Boy, her legs!"

Cyborg came around just in time to take his position at keeping Troia's torso still, but she was just too strong, too horrendously powerful...

Suddenly, she just went limp like a ragdoll, her heart rate flat-lining for half a minute before it started again, sighs of relief and worry echoing from one person to another. Raven was already trying her best to use her powers to heal her own hand, but it was Nightwing's that needed the most care; being left-handed, Troia had literally crushed his fingers and his palm with every bit of her strength, the mangled remains disfigured and disjointed.

All he could do was scream inwardly, the pain almost making him blackout as Cyborg, one arm almost completely torn off, grabbed a washcloth from the sliding tray at the foot of her bed and slipped in Richard's mouth. Beast Boy's growing black eye was slowly turning a deep purple, while Starfire began the process of popping both her dislocated shoulders back into place, using her laser vision to vaporize the door and painfully smashing both arms into the titanium doorframe.

After an hour of repairs, healing, and fixing, the Titans were battered and beaten, but they had survived. All but one.

Gathered around their friend, they gaped as she rested fitfully asleep. Raven, wearily leaning on Nightwing for support, managed to be so unlike herself, and cracked a joke. "At least we know she'd give Superman a hard time if he ever went rogue."

Beast Boy was the only one who laughed. "Nice one, Raven."

"What caused this, Friend Raven? Who did? Why?"

"Dark Angel," replied Nighting softly, and everyone turned to him in surprise. "I bet she's the one responsible."

"What? How do you know that?"

"Because, she seems like the only one who could do something like this, and get this type of reaction." He pointed at his friend, and sighed. "And, she left her calling card."

They all glanced sadly down at their friend, before glancing at each other with horror, debating who was going to tell their friend about the bruising around her neck. The bruising in the shape of two, slender hands, and cuts around them, created by fingernails, tell tale signs of only one thing.

Someone had tried to choke her to death, when there was no one else in the room.


End file.
